The Blog

A Pro-Life Harry Potter?

You’ll have to forgive me, I am still in HP mode. I’m in the middle of writing a post about HP on Path to Holiness (I will put up a link to it when I am finished) and I remembered that I was going to relay a few of my favorite spots from the Deathly Hallows.

First, there has always been an emphasis on the importance of parents and family throughout the novels – the Weasleys, with 6 children and a doting mother, present the greatest example, and all of the main characters have parents who are still together (orphaned, Harry does go to live with his married aunt and uncle, however they treat him). But the greatest moment for me came in the 11th chapter of Deathly Hallows when Lupin (a werewolf and member of the Order of Phoenix) insists on leaving his pregnant wife to help Harry and Harry objects saying “I’m pretty sure my father would have wanted to know why you aren’t sticking with your own kid,” (p.212) and later, “Parents shouldn’t leave their kids” (p.215). This was great because the “kid” is a few months old still inside the womb.

The other part I liked was when, in an underground radio broadcast, a member of the Order of Phoenix urges his magically gifted listeners to also protect their non-magical friends and neighbors from dying at the hands of Voldemort and his followers saying: “We’re all human, aren’t we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving” (p. 440).

I don’t know if this reveals any deeply held pro-life beliefs of Rowlings but it sounds like she is saying – All life is sacred!

Other themes I enjoyed:

Love your enemy: Harry and Ron saved Draco’s life twiceRepentance: SnapeLaying down/risking your life to save others, self sacrifice, love: there are too many examples to list, but Harry and Lily would be the most obvious